John - Names
Meaning of the name John
Gender:
Male
Meaning:
‘Yahweh is gracious’ (from Hebrew name: Yochanan)
History & etymology:
John is a Biblical name, ultimately deriving from Hebrew (Yohanan). It means ‘Yahweh is gracious’. The name was borne by several important Biblical characters such as John the Baptist or apostle John, who is believed to be the author of one of the Gospels.
Hebrew name Yohanan was adopted into Greek as Ioannes. From there it made its way to Latin as Iohannes and subsequently, in 14th century, to English.
There is a great number of important historical figures from around the world who bore the name John, including kings, saints and popes.
One of the modern Saints by the name John (who even has his own name day in Spain) is John Bosco. He was a Roman Catholic priest who lived in the 19th century Italy. He is remembered for his prophetic dreams and for dedicating his life to disadvantaged youth. St. John Bosco did not believe in punishment as a teaching method but rather in loving treatment. He earned himself a title of ‘Father and Teacher of Youth’.
His feast day is celebrated on 31st January.
Alternative spellings & nicknames:
Ian, Jon
Diminutives: Johnie, Johnnie, Johnny
Similar names in other languages & name days:
Austria
26th June: Johann
Bulgaria
7th January: Ioan, Ivan
Czech Republic
24th June: Jan
25th June: Ivan
27th September: Jonáš
Estonia
24th June: Jaan, Jan, Janno, Johan, Juhan
22nd October: Jaano
22nd October: Ihan
Finland:
29th March: Joona, Jouni, Joni, Jonne, Jonni
France
19th August, 23rd October, 27th December: Jean
Germany
19th August: Johann
2nd December: Jan
28th December: John
Greece
7th January: John
Hungary
24th June: Iván
Italy
8th October: Ivano
Poland
10th, 17th, 23rd, 31st January; 4th, 5th, 8th, February; 5th, 8th, 17th, 27th, 28th, 30th March; 13th April; 6th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 27th May; 12th, 16th, 24th, 26th June; 9th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 29th August; 3rd, 11th, 28th September; 1st, 9th, 23rd October; 13th, 24th, 26th November; 27th December: Jan
21st November: Janusz
12th April: Iwan
Slovak Republic
24th June: Ján, Johan, Janis
8th July: Ivan
12th November: Jonáš
Spain
31st January: Juan Bosco
26th November: Juan de Berchmans
9th December: Juan Diego
23rd December: Juan de Kety
5th March: Juan José de la Cruz
8th March: Juan de Dios
7th April: Juan Bautista
24th June: Juan
Sweden
29th March: Jonas
26th June: Jaunius
Ukraine
24th June: John, Ivan
USA
24th June: John, Johan
Famous people named John:
John Cena (1977-) - American wrestler
John Legend (1978-) - American singer
John Lennon (1940-1980) - English singer
John Mayer (1977-) - American singer
John Smith (1580-1631) - English explorer
John Stamos (1963-) - American actor
John Travolta (1954-) - American actor
John Wayne (1907-1979) - American actor
John Williams (1932-) - American composer
John Adams (1735 - 1826) - US President
John of Austria (1547 - 1578) - general, Holy Roman Emperor
John of Austria, Archduke (1782 - 1859) - Holy Roman Emperor
John of Bohemia (1296 - 1346) - king
John the Baptist (died AD 30) - Biblical character, prophet
John of England (1166 - 1216) - king, brother of Richard I
John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963) - US President
John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960 - 1999) - American entrepreneur
John, Prince of the United Kingdom (1905 - 1919) - youngest child of George V
John D. Rockefeller (1839 - 1937) - American entrepreneur
John of Scotland (1249 - 1314) - king
John III Sobieski (1674 - 1696) - king of Poland
John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848) - US President
Popes
from: John I (523 - 526) to John XXIII (1958 - 1963)
and John Paul I (1978), John Paul II (1978 - 2005)
Fun facts:
Popularity (2015)
USA: 26th
England and Wales: 108th
Canada: 56th
Australia: 81st
New Zealand: 78th
Ireland: 28th
Northern Ireland: 44th
Scotland: 59th
Sweden: 79th
Lucky colors: blue, violet
Lucky stone: Amethyst
Ruling planet: Uranus
Characteristics: capable, charismatic, eloquent, focused, principled